Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) VP Paulus Stoffels sold 155,342 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.86, for a total transaction of $20,172,712.12. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 357,906 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $46,477,673.16. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) traded down $2.28 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $130.87. 6,562,792 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 9,500,000. Johnson & Johnson has a 12-month low of $118.05 and a 12-month high of $148.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.32. The company has a market cap of $351,580.00, a price-to-earnings ratio of 335.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 0.74.

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Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 23rd. The company reported $1.74 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $1.72 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $20.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.08 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a net margin of 1.70% and a return on equity of 27.80%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.58 earnings per share. equities analysts forecast that Johnson & Johnson will post 8.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 13th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 27th will be given a dividend of $0.84 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 26th. This represents a $3.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.57%. Johnson & Johnson’s payout ratio is currently 861.54%.

A number of analysts have commented on JNJ shares. Vetr upgraded shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.89 price target for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 11th. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “buy” rating on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Tuesday, January 9th. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $140.00 to $149.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 23rd. Zacks Investment Research lowered shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 12th. Finally, Credit Suisse Group set a $154.00 price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, January 22nd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. The company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $146.16.

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Eagle Ridge Investment Management lifted its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 3.5% during the third quarter. Eagle Ridge Investment Management now owns 27,522 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,578,000 after purchasing an additional 928 shares during the last quarter. Welch & Forbes LLC lifted its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 0.9% during the second quarter. Welch & Forbes LLC now owns 718,331 shares of the company’s stock valued at $95,028,000 after purchasing an additional 6,730 shares during the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lifted its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 0.5% during the second quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 771,868 shares of the company’s stock valued at $102,110,000 after purchasing an additional 3,533 shares during the last quarter. Oliver Luxxe Assets LLC lifted its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 12.7% during the second quarter. Oliver Luxxe Assets LLC now owns 17,538 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,320,000 after purchasing an additional 1,972 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Progressive Investment Management Corp lifted its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 6.8% during the third quarter. Progressive Investment Management Corp now owns 40,317 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,242,000 after purchasing an additional 2,584 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.58% of the company’s stock.

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About Johnson & Johnson

Johnson & Johnson is a holding company, which is engaged in the research and development, manufacture and sale of a range of products in the healthcare field. It operates through three segments: Consumer, Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices. Its primary focus is products related to human health and well-being.